[AI] Access for disabled remains elusive By Julianne Malveaux

From: Nilesh Singit <singitnilesh@xxxxxxxxx>
To: DisabilityConvention@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, accessindia@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, actioncommitteeonaccess@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, adaptcv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, adapt-wi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, advocacyworks@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, aiddisability@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Anti-DeathCulture@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, ashatrigger@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, AsiaPacificDisability@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, AutismIndia-Network@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, DeafJains@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, deals4disabled@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, disability-awareness@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, disability-civil-rights@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, disability-goa@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, sdd108@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, socialwelfareindia@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2005 18:59:45 +0000 (GMT)

Access for disabled remains elusive By Julianne Malveaux 
Fri Nov 18, 7:33 AM ET
 
 

A Supreme Court decision on Monday seems to make equal education harder to 
obtain for special needs students. In Schaffer v. Weast, the court ruled that 
parents have the burden of proving that the school system does not provide a 
free, appropriate education for their special needs child. This case reminds us 
how far we have come, and how much more work must be done, to secure equal 
rights for the 54 million disabled citizens in the USA.
 
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) mandates 
equal educational opportunities for disabled kids. It requires public schools 
to provide education for special needs students, a disproportionate number of 
whom are African-American and Latino. If the court's ruling allows school 
districts to pare special education budgets, and protects them from challenges, 
these kids will lose in the long run.
 

Adults with disabilities are less likely than those without disabilities to 
have finished high school or college. They are less likely to find employment 
and more likely to live in poverty. According to a 2004 survey by the National 
Organization on Disability, people with disabilities report a lower level of 
life satisfaction (34%) than those without (61%). 
 

Even so, laws such as IDEA and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) have 
opened doors that were closed in the past. We have come a long way from the 
days when disabled people had to block city buses with their wheelchairs to 
protest their lack of access. 
 

But we still have a long way to go. Nancy Starnes, of the National Organization 
on Disability, says, "People know what the law requires, but they don't often 
implement it." That's why the Justice Department maintains Project Civic 
Access, to nudge cities toward compliance with ADA laws. In July, more than 20 
municipalities completed agreements to improve access. Many cities have yet to 
make public transportation and accommodations fully accessible. Now a bill 
before Congress would slow implementation by requiring a 90-day notification 
before businesses are held liable for not meeting ADA standards. 
 

All too often, costs, convenience and aesthetics are cited as excuses for not 
making transportation and accommodations more accessible. Yet these excuses 
would be woefully unacceptable if we were dealing with other segments of the 
population. 
 

Even as we acknowledge the tremendous impact that laws such as IDEA and ADA 
have had, we must acknowledge persistent gaps between those who are disabled 
and the rest of us. Disability rights are civil rights, and they must be 
guaranteed.
 

Julianne Malveaux teaches a class on diversity at Bennett College for Women in 
Greensboro, N.
USATODAY

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Nilesh Singit                       59/2 Rekha Kunj,
Rafi Ahmed Kidwai                         Road,
King's Circle, Matunga,
Bombay, Maharashtra,                         
India - 400 019.                                           
nileshsingit@xxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.nileshsingit.com/                                                    
                                                                           tel: 
fax:                             91 22 24096539
91 22 24042876                                                                  
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[AI] Access for disabled remains elusive By Julianne Malveaux

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